Melburne "Mel" Alvin Johnson 1934 - 2019

JOHNSON

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 10/25/2019 at 20:16:20

Sioux City Journal
30 May 2019

Sioux City

Surrounded by his loved ones, Melburne "Mel" Alvin Johnson, 84, of Sioux City, joined his Lord and Savior on Saturday, May 25, 2019, following a brief illness.

Services will be 11 a.m. Monday at Resurrection Lutheran Church in North Sioux City, with the Rev. Richard Marrs officiating. A luncheon will follow the service. Graveside service will be 3 p.m. Monday in Bancroft (Neb.) Cemetery. Visitation will be 9 a.m. until service time Monday at the church. Arrangements are under the direction of Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel.

Mel was born on Nov. 16, 1934, in Genoa, Neb., to Oliver and Ione Johnson. He was baptized as an infant at Salem Lutheran Church and later confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church in rural Bancroft. Growing up, he worked on the family dairy farm, graduating from Bancroft High School in 1952. At age 18, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was stationed in San Diego, Calif., before being honorably discharged in 1954.

Upon returning home, he farmed for several years before meeting the love of his life, Constance Johnson. They married in August 1957 and continued to farm in Nebraska before settling in Sioux City in the early 1960s. In Sioux City, he was the service manager for North American Manufacturing and a nursing home inspector for CM Corporation. Following retirement, he and Connie eventually moved back to Bancroft, where he worked for more than 20 years as a part-time grain inspector for Sioux City Inspection.

A man of many interests, Mel was always up for an adventure, ranging from parasailing and whitewater rafting to antique tractors, both models and the real thing. He also had a keen interest in World War II history and fulfilled a lifelong dream when he visited the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii in 2008. But above all, he especially loved spending time with his wife, children, grandkids, and great-grandkids.

A lifelong member of the Lutheran Churches of the Reformation (LCR), Mel helped establish Dakota Lutheran School in North Sioux City. Between 1989 and 2011, he traveled 21 times to Nigeria, Kenya, and the Congo in Africa to assist with various LCR missionaries.

He is survived by his eight children, Tamra Fakhoorian of Mayfield, Ky., Mark Johnson of Sioux City, Teresa (Kenneth) Brown of Aurora, Ill., Ruth Ann (Michael) Bowers of Janesville, Wis., Valerie (Robb) McMullen of Roland, Iowa, Melanie (Michael) Hobbs of Sioux City, Kristin (Paul) Dacres and Jill Johnson of Sioux City; 40 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and one sister.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Constance, who passed away on March 2, 2019; his parents; stepfather, Otto Paulsen; and four brothers.